The Hurry Up: Linebacker Brandon Smith Sets Announcement Date While Three Wide Receiver Targets Trim Lists

By Andrew Lind on May 13, 2018 at 6:50 pm
Craig Young
Craig Young
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The Hurry Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.

SEE YOU IN HAPPY VALLEY

Mineral, Virginia, Louisa County five-star linebacker Brandon Smith will announce his college decision on Monday, May 21, at 5 p.m.

The 6-foot-5, 224-pound Smith is considered the second-best inside linebacker and No. 29 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he was named first-team all-state after he recorded 117 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss and six sacks to lead the Lions to the state championship game last fall. He’s been to campus three times in the last year, most recently for an unofficial visit in early April.

While in Columbus, Smith and his parents, younger brother and uncle watched practice; met with players and an advisor within the criminology department; and toured campus. They also had dinner with head coach Urban Meyer, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, linebackers coach Bill Davis and defensive line coach/area recruiter Larry Johnson.

“Spending a lot of time with coach Meyer was great,” Smith told Eleven Warriors. “Knowing how busy he is, it was great to see him spend time with me and my family. He expressed how much value I could add to the program as a student-athlete.”

Smith holds nearly 30 offers from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Oregon, Texas A&M and USC, but the Nittany Lions are widely expected to land his pledge next week. The Buckeyes are certainly among his top schools, though.

 “Life after football [stands out],” Smith said. “They do a good job at that.”

GATEWAY TO COLUMBUS

St. Louis Trinity Catholic four-star wide receiver Marcus Washington included Ohio State in his Top 6 on Sunday morning alongside Florida State, Georgia, Missouri, Oregon and Texas.

“Ohio State probably recruits me the heaviest out of all the schools,” Washington told Eleven Warriors last week. “They’re always texting me, checking up on me, even if it isn’t about football. I get along with their coaches really well, and it’s one of the few programs whose whole staff communicates with me. In the football aspect, Ohio State will always be good and they seem to always get people in the league.”

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Washington is considered the ninth-best wide receiver and No. 59 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 29 passes for 637 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead the Titans to the third round of the state playoffs last fall. He has been to campus twice since wide receivers coach Zach Smith offered him a scholarship last spring, including Friday Night Lights in July and the loss to Oklahoma in September.

“I loved Ohio State both times I was up there,” Washington said. “The fans love football as much as the players, and the atmosphere on game day is crazy,”

Washington is set to return the weekend of May 26 for an unofficial visit and is looking forward to spending some more one-on-one time with Meyer and Smith.

“It’s always good seeing and talking to them,” he said.

Washington plans to make a decision his future before the start of his senior season. And after talking with sources close to him and the Ohio State football program, I recently placed by 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Buckeyes.

With Texas five-star Garrett Wilson already in the fold, Washington is at or near the very top of the staff’s priority chart at the wide receiver position.

PATIENTLY WAITING FOR A FIELD TO EXPLODE ON

Another wide receiver I have pegged to end up at Ohio State is Fort Wayne, Indiana, three-star Craig Young, who included the Buckeyes in his Top 5 on Saturday afternoon alongside Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State and Purdue.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Young is considered the 93rd-best wide receiver and No. 691 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 29 catches for 367 yards and four touchdowns to help the Generals to the sectional round of the state playoffs last season. He has been to campus several times in last year, including twice in April for a spring practice and the annual Spring Game.

“The game was fun to watch and the experience was very impressive,” Young told Eleven Warriors.

Over the last few months, Young has grown extremely close to Meyer, Smith and director of player personnel Mark Pantoni. But with a number of wideouts seemingly ahead of him on the staff’s list of priorities, they’ve preached patience.

“[They] told me I need to get better, stay focused and be on top of everything I do,” Young said. “I hope we just keep building chemistry.”

*THIS CLOSE* TO CHANGING

Griffin, Georgia, Spalding four-star wide receiver Zion Puckett also trimmed down his list of offers on Saturday afternoon, as he listed Ohio State in his Top 10 alongside Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Puckett is considered the 36th-best wide receiver and No. 227 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 36 receptions for 660 yards and five touchdowns for the Jaguars last season. He also recorded 40 tackles, one interception and one tackle for a loss on defense, which is why some programs view him as a safety at the next level.

The Buckeyes are leaving the door open for either side of the ball, similar to what happened last cycle with St. Louis four-star Cameron Brown. He was listed — for all intents and purposes — as a wide receiver, but he’ll move to cornerback when he arrives on campus next month.

Puckett visited Ohio State for the first and only time with his mother for the Spring Game last month, which also marked their first time on a plane. They spent a considerable amount of time with Meyer, Schiano, Smith and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach/area recruiter Alex Grinch.

“The visit actually went well,” Puckett told Eleven Warriors. “The thing that impressed me most is how the community around Ohio State was very respectful.”

Puckett plans to take all five of his official visits, with a decision still months away. Ohio State is certain to receive another visit this fall, and the fact that he has family on his mother’s side that lives near Columbus surely calms any fears about playing far from home.

The Crimson Tide are also a player in Puckett’s recruitment, and the home-state Bulldogs could still make a run in the coming months — despite their omission from the above list. But that said, the Buckeyes are in great shape early on.

PERFECT NAME FOR A TEXAS GUNSLINGER

Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was in Dallas earlier this week to  watch Parish Episcopal School dual-threat quarterback Preston Stone throw. And after he consulted with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ryan Day, the Buckeyes offered Stone a scholarship on Thursday night.

“I was very honored and grateful,” Stone told Eleven Warriors. “Coach Day has a history of taking great quarterbacks to the next level, and to receive an offer from a powerhouse like Ohio State meant a lot to me.”

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Stone is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but already holds more than two dozen offers as a rising sophomore from programs such as Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and Virginia Tech. He threw for 2,937 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for another 216 yards and four scores to lead the Panthers to the second round of the state playoffs last fall.

Stone — the younger brother of Virginia sophomore quarterback Lindell Stone — hopes to make his first trip to Columbus in the near future.

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